USC names Clay Helton permanent coach after strong finish

Published 1:40 pm, Monday, November 30, 2015

Southern California hired Clay Helton as its permanent coach on Monday, removing the interim tag after he guided the team to a division title since taking over for Steve Sarkisian.

Southern California hired Clay Helton as its permanent coach on Monday, removing the interim tag after he guided the team to a division title since taking over for Steve Sarkisian.

Photo: David Zalubowski — The Associated Press File Photo

USC names Clay Helton permanent coach after strong finish

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LOS ANGELES >> Clay Helton has twice taken charge of the Southern California football program in moments of crisis and steadied it with calm leadership.

Athletic director Pat Haden decided Helton has earned the chance to be much more than his backup plan.

USC hired Helton as its permanent coach on Monday, removing the interim tag five days before the Trojans face Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game.

Helton guided the troubled Trojans (8-4, 5-3 Pac-12) to five victories and a Pac-12 South title in his seven-week tenure after taking over for Steve Sarkisian, making him 6-2 in two interim stints over the past three years.

“I’m totally humbled, and I’m proud of the job that we’ve done as an entire team,” Helton said in a hastily called news conference amid his preparations for Saturday’s title game.

Although Haden said he interviewed several coaches for one of the most coveted jobs in college football, the winner of his quiet in-season search was the reliable Helton, who got a five-year contract to stay on. He had been an assistant coach at USC since 2010.

“After I observed Clay in action the last seven weeks, it became abundantly clear that what we were searching for in a coach was right here in front of us,” Haden said.

A born-and-bred Southerner who has grown to love his West Coast school, the 43-year-old Helton served as the offensive coordinator for both Lane Kiffin and Sarkisian. Helton took over a 3-2 team on Oct. 12 after Sarkisian was fired for showing up to campus in no condition to work, an apparent reflection of his struggles with alcohol.

“I’ve had the great experience and fortune to be a part of this special place for six years,” Helton said. “In that time, I have learned about the tradition of excellence that USC has, both on and off the field. I totally understand the high bar of excellence and expectations that come with the job. I welcome them with open arms, because as a coach, I expect them of myself.”

Helton has succeeded by keeping things simple at USC, a place where nothing seems to happen easily or normally. The Trojans have had five head coaching changes and conference titles since Pete Carroll’s departure following the 2009 season.

But with Helton emphasizing physical play and a familial bond with his talented roster, the Trojans have won five of their last six games. USC routed UCLA 40-21 on Saturday, clinching the division and its first trip to the conference championship game.

USC is winning with uncomplicated football from a roster loaded with NFL talent. The Trojans have outrushed their opponents in every game, averaging 263 yards on the ground to just 124 for opponents, while committing nine fewer turnovers.

Helton’s players loudly advocated for his promotion to the full-time job, but Haden said Helton’s broad support among past and current Trojans was only one factor. USC’s team meeting still erupted into raucous celebrations on Monday when Haden told the players about Helton’s promotion.

“This is the most unique place in the world,” Helton said. “It is the pinnacle of college football.”

The timing of Haden’s move was surprising, even if the outcome had seemed increasingly plausible for weeks. Faced with an unwanted midseason coaching change, little news leaked about USC’s search and Haden flatly denied that he had interviewed Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly, a popular candidate among fans and alumni.

Helton also served as the Trojans’ head coach for one game in 2013 after the departures of Kiffin and Ed Orgeron. He jokingly referred to himself as the Trojans’ “third-string head coach” when he took over for Orgeron and won the Las Vegas Bowl, but the backup to the backup is now the starter.

Helton said he hasn’t made any decisions on his staff makeup. He has continued to serve as his own offensive coordinator since his promotion.

“We made a commitment as a staff seven weeks ago that we would focus on this season, these players, their experience and getting them to a championship,” Helton said.